Long-COVID symptoms persist for years in nonhospitalized adults, study reveals

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Persistent physical and mental health impairments remained common up to 2.5 years after infection among nonhospitalized adults with long COVID, or post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), according to a cohort study published today in BMC Public Health.

Karolinska Institutet researchers followed up on 130 adults with PCC who were never hospitalized for acute COVID and were assessed at a specialized post-COVID clinic in Stockholm, Sweden. Participants underwent clinical evaluations at a median of 12 months and again at 30 months after infection to measure physical function, physical activity, mental health, and self-rated health.

Data were collected from August 2020 to December 2024. Participants were predominantly middle-aged women who had been physically active before COVID infection, with no functional limitations.

Roughly half had shortness of breath 2.5 years on

Although some improvement occurred over time, impairments persisted across multiple domains. At 2.5 years, roughly half of participants demonstrated severe dyspnea (shortness of breath) and symptoms of moderate to severe depression, and 42% showed impaired lower-body strength on a one-minute sit-to-stand test.

The researchers identified several factors at the 12-month assessment that were associated with poorer self-rated health at 2.5 years. These factors included impaired physical performance on the sit-to-stand test, low levels of physical activity, and symptoms of depression. Older age was also independently associated with worse self-rated health.

The findings suggest that recovery in nonhospitalized individuals may be slow and incremental, even years after infection.

“Although most outcomes showed statistically significant improvements between assessments, the changes may not represent clinically meaningful improvement,” write the researchers. “These findings contribute to the understanding of the clinical course of PCC, suggest a slow improvement over time, and highlight the need for further research to better characterise recovery trajectories in this population.”

South Carolina measles outbreak hits 876 with 29 new cases

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Stephanie Soucheray, MA

measles boy — Aleksandr Zyablitskiy / iStock

Today the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) said the state’s outbreak total is now 876, after adding 29 more cases since January 30 in an outbreak report.

“DPH has also confirmed a case of measles in a Sumter County resident. At this point in the investigation, it is not yet clear whether this new case is linked to the Upstate outbreak centered around Spartanburg County or if the case may have been exposed where measles is occurring in other locations,” DPH said in its report.

Most of the new cases are close case contacts, but multiple sites of possible public exposure are listed on the DPH website, including restaurants and grocery stores in Sumter County.

There are currently 354 people in quarantine and 22 in isolation in South Carolina. Among confirmed cases, 800 case-patients are unvaccinated against measles. Only 22 are fully vaccinated, and 16 are partially vaccinated against the virus. Vaccination status is unknown for 38 patients.

Almost two-thirds of cases (555) have occurred in patients ages 5 to 17, 233 cases are in children under the age of 5 years, 71 cases are in those 18 or older, and 17 have unknown age.

A statewide dashboard shows 841 (96%) of the 876 cases are in Spartanburg County, 28 cases are in Greenville County, and fewer than five cases each are in Anderson and Cherokee counties. Those four counties are in the Upstate region of the state. Sumter County, also with fewer than five cases, is in the center of the state, or Pee Dee region of South Carolina.

Outbreak on Florida college campus

In other news, Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida announced a growing measles outbreak on campus. At least 12 cases have been confirmed, and four patients have required hospitalization.

WHO’s assessment shows improved flu vaccines could save up to 6 million lives

News brief

Stephanie Soucheray, MA

A new report from World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that broad use of improved seasonal influenza vaccines could prevent 6.6 to 18 billion additional influenza cases, 2.3 to 6.2 million deaths, and 21 to 57 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) globally between 2025 and 2050.

The Full Value of Improved Influenza Vaccine Assessment, published in January, evaluates the health, economic, and policy impacts of next-generation influenza vaccines and identify barriers to their uptake. More effective and long-lasting flu vaccines would be an economic boon for most WHO member states, the report said.

Cost savings for low- and middle-income countries

The analysis shows that overall, the market size for seasonal influenza vaccines is large and will remain so for the foreseeable future, which ensures the commercial viability of the vaccines. Moreover, seasonal flu vaccines can be cost-saving or cost-effective in many countries when priced appropriately.

These vaccines have the potential to reduce the global burden of influenza significantly.

“By addressing key challenges in vaccine development, decision-making, market demand, health and economic impact, financial viability, and implementation, these vaccines have the potential to reduce the global burden of influenza significantly and to improve health outcomes, particularly in low- and middle-income countries,” the report said.